Providence’s Dabbaghian named All-CIF in girls’ basketball for third season in a row
Katia Dabbaghian should be used to receiving recognition this time of the year.
For the two previous seasons, Dabbaghian, a junior on the Providence High girls’ basketball team, was honored with All-CIF Southern Section accolades.
This year, the tradition continued.
For the third straight season, Dabbaghian earned All-CIF accolades, as she was named to the Division IV-A first-team when the list was released by the CIF Office on Monday.
A pair of local players were named to the All-CIF second team, as Burbank junior Yazzy Sa’Dullah and Burroughs junior Davina Del Castillo were honored in Division I-A.
“Honestly, it was a real shock when Coach [Andrew] Bencze told me that I had won it this year,” Dabbaghian said. “I really did not expect this at all. I was really caught off guard by the news.”
Anyone who saw the Pioneers play this season would likely not be shocked at Dabbaghian’s latest accolade. She was a driving force on a team that won a fifth straight Liberty League championship and despite moving up to a tougher division, still advanced to the quarterfinals.
“I am just honored to be chosen among such a talented group of players who make All-CIF,” Dabbaghian said. “It is really humbling. Just to think I am among them is just amazing.
“I just worked as hard as I could during the season to help my team. That was the most important thing to me.”
Dabbaghian led the Pioneers in scoring, averaging 13.3 points a game to go along with 7.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and three steals.
Along with winning the league title, the Pioneers (18-7) advanced to the Division IV-A quarterfinals and won the league tournament.
The previous two seasons, Dabbaghian was an All-CIF recipient after helping Providence to the Division V-AA semifinals both seasons.
Bencze said Dabbaghian was an invaluable asset for the team this past season, not only for the numbers that she put up but for how she helped lead the team.
“With Katia, she doesn’t always put up gaudy numbers like some of the other players,” Bencze said. “But she is just so consistent and so even from game to game. And she does well in every category, rebounding, scoring, assists, steals; she is not just a one-dimensional player. She is multifaceted. She is just a very talented player.”
Bencze added that his Pioneers wouldn’t have been as successful during the 2013-14 campaign if it wasn’t for the exploits of Dabbaghian.
“When you face us, you have to guard her, or she’ll make you pay,” Bencze said. “She’s very tough to contain. The great thing about Katia is that she makes the players around her better. She just elevates players’ abilities. That’s a great thing about her. What’s also great is that we will have her back for her senior year.”
Sa’Dullah, a guard, averaged 18.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 3.3 steals per contest en route to being named the Pacific League’s co-Player of the Year with Crescenta Valley’s Ella Stepanian.
Sa’Dullah helped Burbank finish 18-11 and 10-4 in league for third place. The Bulldogs advanced to the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division I-A playoffs before falling to Knight.
Del Castillo, a forward, was an all-league first-team honoree who averaged 9.4 points, 10 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 3.6 steals and 1.8 blocks per game.
The Indians finished 24-7 and 14-0 in the Pacific League, capturing the championship. Burroughs advanced to CIF Southern Section Division I-A quarterfinals, losing to Huntington Beach.